Ethical Research with Sex Workers

"This volume is the result of the many years the authors have spent conducting ethnographic field research with sex workers, conversing with other researchers, and, perhaps most importantly, developing a deep sense of empathy for the sex worker participants in the research as well as the colleagues who carry out this work with the goal of advancing social justice. They have a combined total of twenty-five years' experience carrying out research with sex workers, and this extensive period of time has given them ample opportunity to reflect upon the topic of ethics. Sex work, defined as the exchange of sexual or sexualized intimacy for money or something of value, encompasses a wide range of legal and illegal behaviors that present researchers with key ethical challenges explored in the volume. These ethical challenges include: Research methodology ; Distinguishing research from activism ; Navigating the politically and ideologically charged environments in which researchers must remain constantly attuned to the legal and public policy implications of their work ; Possibilities for participatory sex work research processes ; Strategies for incorporating participants in a variety of c